How A Water Distiller Works
Author: C. Reid Thornley B.Sc.

Steam distillers are one of the oldest and one of the most
effective ways to purify drinking water. Steam distillation
utilizes a very simple process that mimics the natural processes
that purify the water on the Earth. On earth, this process is
called the hydrologic cycle. The hydrologic cycle is a process
of events where water moves through the on and through the Earth
and atmosphere in its liquid and vapor forms. This process is
powered exclusively by the energy of the sun.

The hydrologic cycle begins with the water that exists on the
surface of the earth. This includes water in soil, rivers,
lakes, streams, oceans and on every other surface you can
imagine. Sunlight strikes the water and energizes some of the
water molecules enough to turn them from liquid to vapor. This
process is often referred to as evaporation. Since the water
vapor is warmer than the water it came from, it rises and enters
the atmosphere. In order to understand how this process
purifies water, it's important to understand that only pure
water is light enough to be vaporized. As water turns from
liquid to vapor it releases it's impurities. The now pure water
rises up higher into the atmosphere and in doing so becomes
cooler and cooler. It combines with other vaporized water
molecules to become microscopic droplets. Droplets combine to
form what we know as clouds. The droplets continue to condense
with other droplets and grow in mass until the droplets can no
longer be suspended in the air. This is when it rains. It
should be noted that rain is very pure when it first forms, but
picks up contaminants as is falls through the Earth's
atmosphere.

So, in nature it is the process is vaporization and
condensation which leads to the formation of pure water. A
steam distiller operates in virtually the same way. First, the
reservoir of the distiller is filled with tap water. The water
is then heated until it boils. Steam (aka water vapor) then
rises out of the boiler and enters a condensation loop.
Remember, as with the hydrologic cycle, when water vaporizes it
leaves behind all of its contaminants. In the condensation loop
there is a spiral of stainless steel that is cooled by air with
a fan. As steam contacts the sides of the cooling loop it
condenses and trickles down towards the spout.

It's at this point that a steam distiller varies slightly from
the natural hydrological process. Some contaminants in water
have the same boiling point and condensing properties as the
water itself. That means that they are able to travel through
the distiller with the water and could end up in the purified
water. For this reason, most high quality steam distillers
include a carbon filter cup that acts as a final purification
stage, before the water is dispensed into the collection cup.
The activated carbon filter cup removes any remaining
contaminants leaving only pure, clean, healthy water.

When shopping for a steam distiller look for products that
utilize high grade stainless steel in the boiler and condensing
coil and of course, look for products that are supported by a
manufacturer's warranty.


About The Author: Reid Thornley holds a B.Sc. Biology and has
held positions in R&D and Sales with a world leader in water
purification systems. He has presented to the Water Quality
Association and now runs his own business aQuatell - Water
Purification Made Easy!
http://www.aquatell.com/us/water-distillers